Hush
by SilverBelle11
Summary: When women start turning up dead in Quantico, the team starts investigating. When Reid finds one of the victims alive, it seems like a big break. Unfortunately, this victim has lost her memory. That isn't all she's lost, though. Will Reid and the others be able to break through her barriers and with them, her silence} **I do not own Criminal Minds**
1. Chapter 1

"_Do not too hastily conclude that silence is indifference. Indifference is not to care, not to act, not even to think or breathe. Indifference is inhuman and inhumane. Silence, on the other hand, is almost always premeditated, a willful act. Without silence there would be no sound." -Justin Bryan Snider_

Spencer Reid tore his eyes away from the screen before him; he could stand to watch no more. The naked body of a beautiful redhead lay beneath a tree, staged as if with great care and affection, but the BAU wouldn't be involved if affection were part of this woman's recent past. Void, empty eyes stared up at the leaves above her as the wind played with a lock of the woman's ginger hair. Evidence of torture was heavy on her body, and around her pale, cold lips was a black cloth...as though the dead needed a gag.

"Abigail Turner is the fourth in six months," Hotch was saying as Reid shook his head, bringing himself back to the present conversation. "Just like the others, she was found under a tree just outside of town, naked, and gagged. As with the others, she was tortured in various ways, but the fatal wound was the deep cut to her throat. She would have bled out in minutes."

"Are we looking at a sexual sadist?" Morgan spoke up, his brow furrowed deeply.

"It doesn't appear that way," Rossi shook his head. "None of the victims have shown evidence of sexual assault. Most of the wounds are either cuts or burns. There are also needle tracks from where the UnSub drugged them."

At this, Reid visibly flinched. Garcia reached over and rubbed his back softly.

"All four women have been white and in their early to mid-twenties with red hair," Hotch continued, mentally noting the exchange, "but otherwise, the UnSub's MO is all over the board. Katelyn McAlistair was a bar tender at a pub down on Potomac Avenue. She went missing in August of last year. Emily Roland was a flight attendant. She went missing last March and turned up in October."

"So this guy kidnaps women, keeps them for months, tortures them, and leaves them naked and gagged under trees," J.J. stated, disgusted.

"Yes," Rossi nodded, "and since the timelines of the missing women overlap, I think it's safe to say that this UnSub has more women held hostage. God only knows what they're suffering as we speak. It's up to us to find him, and set them free."

~#*H*#~

Reid had been more than grateful for the horrific meeting to come to an end. He loved his job of helping people, but for some reason this case was bothering him. Perhaps it was because the women were being drugged during their torture. He shivered at the thought, eyes wandering regretfully to his elbows.

Hearing a roll of thunder in the distance, Reid quickened his steps. It seemed that the temperamental weather of May in Virginia was staying true to its predictable lack of predictability. With another clap of thunder, Reid found himself drenched in a chilling rain. His shoes splashed through the puddles on the sidewalk as he began to run, holding his messenger bag over his head.

Reid turned to the right, deciding at the last second to take a shortcut home through the park. He could almost feel a cold settling in as the freezing water soaked through to the skin that lay beneath his clothes. He would definitely regret opting out of bringing his umbrella in the morning.

Suddenly, though, as Reid ran past the playground, something caught his eye. He skidded to a halt and his eyes grew as round as they fell on a figure just at the edge of the light from the street lamp.

There, wandering aimlessly as though she didn't even feel the night's chill on her bare skin, was a young woman. As naked as the day she was born, she stood looking around with eyes that observed the world around her but didn't really see it. Her body was covered in garish cuts; rope burns on her wrists were evidence to restraints that had been there. Loose around her neck hung a black, silk scarf, and in the dim light of the street lamp, Reid could just make out the reddish hue of her hair.

With only a moment's hesitation, Reid moved forward. He looked around as he went, hoping not to see any sign of another person in the area. When she saw him, the woman jumped as though coming out of a trance. She gazed at him with wild terror in her eyes and moved to back away.

"No, No!" Reid put up his hands, "It's alright! I'm not going to hurt you! My name is Dr. Spencer Reid. I'm with the FBI." Here, Reid fumbled for his badge.

As he came closer, the woman glanced around like a cornered animal. She then looked down at herself, and started breathing quickly and heavily. She crossed her arms over her bare chest, shaking her head. It was difficult to tell in the rain, but Reid thought he saw tears streaming down her face alongside the precipitation.

"Here!" Reid threw his messenger bag to the ground and removed his coat. Holding it out, he closed the gap between himself and the frightened woman. Carefully, he placed the coat around her shoulders and pulled her against him, attempting to share his body heat with her.

"Come on," he whispered through chattering teeth, "let's get you out of here."

Reid stooped quickly and picked up this bag and began walking back in the direction he'd come, ushering the young woman along with him. Looking around to be sure the UnSub wasn't still around, Reid pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"Come on, come on, come on," he mumbled impatiently as the phone rang in his ear.

"Damnit." He cursed when Hotch's voicemail picked up. Hurriedly, with shaking fingers, he dialed again. This time a voice answered.

"Hey, Reid! What's up?" Morgan's voice sounded amused. "I figured you'd be watching Doctor Who reruns by now, man."

"Morgan, I need you to come pick me up at the park by my house. NOW." Reid's voice was strained.

"Reid, what's wrong, man?" all humor was gone from Morgan's voice.

"I think I found one of them," Reid looked over his shoulder half expecting a shadowy knife to be coming at his back.

"Found one of what, Reid?"

"One of the victims," Reid huffed impatiently. He didn't have time for questioning. The woman under his arm shivered more and more violently with each passing moment. He could hear Morgan shuffling to get out the door as they spoke, however, so he answered the queries.

"WHAT?"

"One of the kidnapped women!" Reid snapped. "I think I found one of them in the park!"

"Is she..?." Morgan's tone was suddenly very dark.

"She's alive," Reid answered before Morgan could say the word. "She's hurt, and she's naked, but she's alive. I'm getting her out of the park now, but I need you to pick us up. I can't get a hold of Hotch."

"Did you see the UnSub?" Morgan returned to his questioning.

"No. She was alone. I'm not sure how she got away. She hasn't said a word since I found her," Reid glanced behind again.

"Okay. I'm on my way," Morgan stated. Reid heard the engine of Morgan's vehicle rev in the background. Close after, a siren wailed. "I'll keep trying Hotch. You just focus on getting that girl out of there."

"Alright. I'll see you soon," Reid breathed.

"Be careful, Reid," Morgan's frown was all over his voice. "The UnSub is probably still close. He may even be tailing you. Keep your gun ready."

"Always," Reid mumbled back, hanging up the phone. He put it in his pocket hastily and replaced it with his revolver.

Slowly, the woman turned her head up to look at Reid. When he met her gaze, it was full of questions and fear. Her green eyes were dark from exhaustion. Reid tried in vain to smile at her reassuringly. He ended up with a pained grimace instead.

"My team is on the way. We're going to keep you safe now," Reid promised.

Suddenly, the woman stumbled forward. Her knees hit the pavement hard. She opened her mouth as though to cry out, but no sound came. Reid dropped to the ground in front of her.

"Hey, are you okay? I'm sorry, but we've got to keep moving."

He helped her to her feet, a knot growing in his stomach as he noted the blood streaming down her legs from the ruined knees.

"What's your name?" Reid mumbled the question absently as a way to distract the woman from the terror around her. Though he waited, she didn't answer. After enough seconds for the delay to be purposeful instead of hesitation, Reid looked down at the woman again.

She met his gaze with agony in her eyes. Reid watched as she slowly, intently pulled the silk scarf up and put it around her own mouth as the gag it was designed to be. She shook her head sorrowfully. It was then that the horrible truth smacked Reid square in the chest, and his heart ached like it never had before. He suddenly knew why the women had been gagged.

"You can't speak."

As Reid looked at her, a flash of lightening illuminated the woman's haggard face, gagged with a black, silk scarf and naked in the dark...

and the silence around her was deafening.

**_~#*H*#~_**

**_AN: Well, gang, I'm trying something completely different! Most of my readers are used to my anime fanfics. Some of you are following my LotR one. This is my first glance into the realm of reality, and I have to say, I'm pretty stoked. I've loved Criminal Minds for years, and this story is one that I've carried around in my head almost since I started watching it. I finally decided I had enough of a story to write it down. I hadn't intended on sharing it with anyone, but I'm a narcissist, so here it is. It's going to be a dark road. Probably the darkest I've ever written. I hope you are intrigued by it! Let me know what you think!_**


	2. Chapter 2

"She still hasn't talked at all," Derek Morgan frowned as he and Dr. Spencer Reid stared through the window of Room 345. Inside, J.J. was trying to get the young woman Reid had found to speak about her experience.

"She's probably in shock," Reid sighed heavily. It had been two days since he'd found her wandering in the rainy park. When Morgan had picked them up, they'd taken the soaked woman to the hospital. Somewhere along that ride, it seemed that her mind had completely closed in on itself. She stared blankly at the wall before her. The television was on, but it was obvious that she wasn't really watching it. Reid had stayed close for the duration of her stay, in which every part of her was examined, poked, and prodded, but he hadn't actually gone in the room with her since he and Morgan brought her in. Hotch said that since her trauma was caused by a man, she would probably be more open to females at this time.

"I don't doubt that for a second," Morgan shook his head. "The doctors said some of the scars are as old as two years."

Reid shuddered.

"Could you imagine?" Morgan marveled, "being held captive and tortured like that for two years?"

When Reid didn't answer, Morgan looked over to find his friend staring intensely at the red-headed woman. A dark shadow had fallen over Reid's already gloomy countenance.

"The doc said she's going to be okay, though," Morgan continued, trying to lighten the mood. "The wounds she has are shallow, and there's no permanent damage."

"What about her voice?" the tone of Reid's voice sent chills up Morgan's spine.

"They said there's no physical damage," Morgan rubbed the back of his head absently as he spoke. "I suppose it's just..."

"He took it from her."

"Huh?" Morgan looked hard at Reid. He didn't like this aura his friend was projecting.

"We're looking for an UnSub with a history of verbal abuse...probably from a red-haired female," Reid mumbled, still watching the woman stare blankly ahead. "He's kidnapping these women, and then somehow...he's taking their voices."

Suddenly, Reid moved, feeling an irresistible compulsion to go and sit with the young woman.

"Where are you going?" Morgan raised an eyebrow.

"I'm going to be with her."

"But Hotch said..." Morgan protested with no conviction.

"I don't really care what Hotch said," Reid didn't look back as he spoke. "I found her, and she needs me."

**~#*H*#~**

"Hey Reid," J.J. greeted him cheerily as he took a seat next to the bed. "Jane Doe, here still isn't saying much."

"She spoke to you?" The hope in Reid's voice as he looked up at her expectantly put a lump in J.J.'s throat.

"...no. She won't even look at me," J.J. frowned. Reid hung his head ever so slightly.

After a moment of terribly heavy silence, Reid spoke.

"Heeey, how are you feeling?" As he asked, Reid leaned forward, propping his elbows on the bed.

At this motion, the silent woman suddenly looked over, locking gazes with Reid. J.J. raised an eyebrow.

"Well, hello," Reid attempted a smile.

Slowly, as though she were unsure of her own body, the girl slid a hand out from under the covers. Watching the appendage like it was moving of its own accord, she inched her hand across the bed. Reid held perfectly still so as not to frighten her. When their hands were almost touching, the young woman wound her shaking fingers around Reid's still ones. She then went back to staring straight ahead with a sad, exhausted sigh.

J.J. looked at Reid questioningly, but she found the same questions returned in his eyes. With a shrug of acceptance, so slight it almost blended into his next motion, Reid readjusted himself to where he, too, was watching the television. For several hours, the two of them sat this way: both staring at the random programming on the television, hands clasped together in silence.

And that's how the next several days passed.

Every day, Reid would come. Every day, she would look at him upon his entrance. Every day, she would crawl her hand across the covers to his (with more and more certainty behind the motion each day.) Every day, he would allow her to take his hand, and every day, they would stare absently at the television until visiting hours ended and J.J. or Prentice arrived to spend the night with her. After the second night, she had even relaxed enough to fall asleep for a few hours at a time with Reid present. By day three, she was eating more than just one meal a day, and she would sleep when one of the female agents was with her.

Occasionally, the other members of the team would stop by to check on the girl's progress. Hotch was working on finding out her identity, but it was proving more difficult than he thought. Since she was alive and not a criminal, DNA testing couldn't be done without her consent, and she was in no condition to offer such consent. Morgan started coming in the room with Reid after that first visit. Garcia liked to stop by as well when she wasn't scanning the internet for missing persons reports matching the girl's description.

On the fourth day, Reid had entered the room to find the young woman frowning at the televangelist spouting on about blessings in exchange for dollars.

_"Facial expression...this is an improvement. It would seem that at least a little bit of her cognitive function is returning,"_ Reid thought to himself. As he approached, the young woman put her hand out expectantly, still frowning at the screen. With a quiet giggle, Reid took it and sat down.

"Not a huge fan of religion, huh?" Reid asked her, knowing she wouldn't respond...

But she did.

Shooting a glance in his direction, she shook her head. Reid fought off the reflex to gasp. If he was going to encourage her to communicate, he couldn't act surprised when she finally did.

Releasing his hand, the girl reached down to her side. She pulled up the old Bible that stayed in the room. She looked at it with affection and...was that a hint of a smile? She turned that ghost of a smile on Reid. Patting the worn book softly, she nodded. Then, with a disgusted frown, she shook her head at the television.

"Oh, so you're a follower of the Bible...not the religion that requires money," Reid was almost giddy. The conversation could have been about cactus plants in Antarctica for all he cared. She was communicating. Her answers weren't much, but they were communication, and that's far more than they'd had when they started. The girl nodded slightly in answer.

"Then why don't we watch something else? I think BBC is having a Doctor Who marathon today," Reid smiled.

Nod.

Slowly but happily, Reid took the remote and changed the channel. The girl beside him settled back against her pillow, turning her palm up beside her. Taking her cue, Reid slid his hand into hers, and they resumed their ritual of watching television in silence.

_**~#*H*#~**_

Prentice entered the room to find Jane Doe sleeping peacefully on her side. Reid slouched awkwardly against the bed, his neck bent at an awkward angle to accommodate his forehead resting against the heel of his hand. The young doctor's mouth hung open, and in his left hand was the remote to the television that showed vivid scenes of wonder to an audience long absent.

_"Very cute," _the agent thought to herself.

"Reid?" Prentice whispered softly. The young man's head flew up at the mention of his name.

"Oh, hey, Emily," Reid stretched sleepily. "I guess I must have dozed off."

"Looks like it," Prentice smirked. Reid looked over at the sleeping girl beside him.

"She looks so peaceful," he murmured. "Seeing her like this, you'd never know what she's been through."

Prentice was silent for a moment as she got her things settled.

"What's on your mind?" Reid sighed. He already knew exactly what she was thinking. She paused another moment longer before answering.

"Please be careful, Reid," she muttered with her back turned. "Don't get too close."

"I know," Reid answered quietly and carefully. "It isn't like that, I assure you."

At this, Prentice turned around and sat in a chair in the corner.

"And what exactly is it like?"

"I found her, Emily," Reid held his ground. "We have no idea how much she remembers of her ordeal. We don't even know if she remembers who she was before this mess. Could you imagine that? What if all she knows is torture?"

Prentice didn't respond. Instead, she stared thoughtfully into her coffee with a frown.

"But I found her," Reid continued. "What if I'm the only familiar thing in her life right now? I feel...responsible...for her."

At this, Reid nodded, satisfied with his conclusion.

"I just don't want to see you get hurt again, Reid," Prentice smiled grimly.

There was a moment of silence before he spoke again.

"We had a conversation earlier," he smiled at the sleeping girl.

"She spoke to you?" Prentice sat forward, suddenly. "What did she say?"

"She didn't say anything," Reid shook his head, still looking at the broken woman. "She spoke to me in gestures. We talked about her faith...so at least she still has that much."

"Sometimes that's all a person needs," Prentice leaned back again. "It's probably why she survived."

_**~#*H*#~**_

"We can't just keep calling her 'Jane Doe'," Reid rolled his eyes.

This discussion had been going on for the better part of an hour. Two days had passed, during which, the young woman had begun to answer not only Reid, but Prentice, J.J., Morgan, and Garcia through her shy nods. It had been revealed that Reid was right, and she had no memory of her past...including her name. In light of that development, today's debate had begun to give her a new name until the DNA testing (for which she could now give consent) could give them her conclusive history.

"Why not? I think Janie is a good name!" Prentice argued.

"No, no, I'm with Reid," Garcia shook her head. "She needs her own identity."

"We could call her Shamiqua," Morgan nodded, decisively. The young redhead looked at him with a raised eyebrow. She flattened her lips into a straight line and shook her head.

"How about...Artemis?" Reid furrowed his eyebrows. The girl looked hard at him, as though deciding.

"Artemis?" Prentice snorted.

"She's an ancient Greek goddess of the hunt and healing," Reid gave a half-smile, watching the silent girl's reaction. She thought for a moment, then smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

"I like it!" Garcia grinned. "Artemis...sounds so sultry and mysterious! Rawr!"

"You're all crazy," Prentice laughed, shaking her head.

"I still think Shamiqua is the better option, here," Morgan tried to hide his smile.

"What are we doing?" A new voice entered the scene.

The silent girl's nurse came in the room cheerfully. He held out a tray, placing it on her table.

"We're coming up with a new name for our friend, here," Prentice laughed. "These jugheads are trying to name her Artemis."

"I said Shamiqua," Morgan stated.

"I'm not even acknowledging that," Prentice closed her eyes and shook her head.

The redhead perched on the hospital bed beamed happily.

"Well that's the most I've seen you smile," the nurse, Joe, grinned. He turned to the computer.

After a moment, Reid noticed that "Artemis" was staring at her nurse, frowning deeply. He looked to see the cause of her change in expression. The nurse was suddenly very pale, and sweating as though he was out in the summer sun.

"Joe, you feeling alright? You're kind of pale all of a sudden," subconsciously, Reid put a hand to his gun. The rest of the crowd in the room straightened.

"Yeah, I'm alright," Joe didn't notice the change behind him. "I've felt sort of funny since lunch. Good thing I'm off in an hour!" He laughed.

Turning to the young woman, Joe forced a smile.

"If everything is still looking this good, you'll get to head home in the morning! Do you need anything?"

The redhead frowned, shaking her head slowly.

"Alrighty," Suddenly, Joe's breathing became labored. I'll just check back with you later, then..."

But as he turned, Joe crashed to the ground. In an instant, everyone in the room was on their feet. Prentice got to Joe first. She flipped him over, yelling his name. Without hesitation, "Artemis" stood, taking only a moment to tear off the blood pressure cuff and rip the IV out of her hand when they held her back. Pushing Prentice aside gently, she knelt.

"Hey! You shouldn't be out of bed!" Prentice looked at her, concerned.

The girl wasn't listening, though. She felt quickly for a pulse, her cheek an inch above the man's upturned mouth. After a few seconds, she grabbed his nose and pulled his head back, breathing twice into his mouth. She watched his body with her cheek over his face once more. With intensity in every motion, she got up on her knees, pointing to the "Code Blue" handle above her bed. Reid followed her direction, stumbling up. Mere seconds after the alarm sounded, nurses, doctors, and other assorted personnel flooded the room. As though she didn't notice, the girl continued CPR on Joe. She looked up, pointing to the AED on the crash cart when it entered.

When the nurse approached to put it on her fallen friend, the girl moved expertly to a position that allowed for the application of the device, but still allowed her to continue with CPR.

Reid and the others were escorted out into the hallway. Once or twice, the nurses attempted to take over their patient's position, but she waved them off.

"Clear!" someone yelled. Everyone held their hands up. When the charge fired, the organized chaos resumed. "We've got a rhythm!"

The silent woman stopped her compressions and listened. Sure enough, she could feel a slight breath on her face. With help, she rolled Joe onto his side. At this, one of the other nurses pulled her to her feet and placed her on the bed. The nurse, Becky, held gauze over her bleeding, shaking hand.

"You did well," Becky said, calmly. "You shouldn't have, but you did well...and you probably saved Joe's life...so thank you."

When she was finished bandaging up the place where the young redhead had pulled out her IV, the nurse went on, seeing to her coworker. The silent girl sat on the bed, in a daze. Soon, the crowd had cleared out, and the FBI team was allowed back in the room.

"They said he's had some trouble with his heart in the past...I hope the guy's okay," Morgan was saying as they entered.

Prentice frowned hard at the young woman, sitting cross legged on the bed.

"So that Artemis chick...she's the goddess of healing, huh?" she said with a smirk.

"Yeah," Reid rubbed the back of his head, "She was the goddess of a lot of things, but healing is definitely one of them."

"I suppose it does fit, then," Prentice nodded, satisfied.

"Garcia, I guess you can narrow your search to women with experience in the medical field," Morgan looked at the girl with wonder. "Let's see if you can beat Hotch's DNA results."

"So..." Reid inched his way over to the bed and sat down. The girl was eerily void of expression. It was almost as though she were relapsing into her self. "Artemis?"

At Reid's question, her name, the girl's head lifted, and she looked at him with a soft smile. He sighed with relief. She was still with him.

_Nod.  
_

_**~#*H*#~**_

_**I had planned on having this chapter out much sooner, but life gets in the way. Haha! I'm not actually sure of the process when a person is alive but unidentified, so I fudged it based on my knowledge of the medical field. Just go with it. It isn't important in the grand scheme. haha! Well, I hope you liked it, and I hope you continue to stay intrigued by our little Artemis. Let me know what you think! **_


	3. Chapter 3

Despite the noise of the traffic around them, the ride was incredibly quiet. Artemis stared out the window as though she was seeing the world for the very first time. In her mind, she was. Nothing outside of the dark room where she'd lived between tortures for the past two years existed at all...

But then there was Spencer Reid. While she stared out the window, he found himself watching her with a sad smile playing on his lips. The nervous curiosity in Artemis's eyes made his heart ache and filled him with happiness at the same time. She had endured unimaginable pain, both physical and mental, and yet, here she sat, looking around like a child on Christmas morning...and she was free.

Reid struggled with a strong aversion to being touched by strangers, yet, as Morgan observed in the rear-view mirror, he found that his friend and the mysterious girl were once again holding hands. The truth of it was, over the last week, the five thin fingers woven around Reid's own had become as natural as breathing. For Artemis, it was comfort and grounding in a world of uncertainty. For Reid...

Well, for Reid it was several things, some of which he had yet to recognize for himself. For one, it was a way of helping Artemis adjust to life as a normal young woman; that much he knew. For another, it was simply expected. If there came a time when they were together, and their hands weren't clasped, Reid began to feel "off" until the silent red-head reached out and invited him into this tiny embrace.

What Reid had yet to realize, though, is that holding Artemis's hand had become a defensive way for his mind to keep her safe. In recent years, Reid had experienced so much suffering, death, and loss, often of those he cared for deeply. By holding her hand, Reid knew that Artemis was here. She was alive. She was safe, and she wasn't going anywhere.

With a smile, Morgan put his dark chocolate eyes back on the road. Prentice was nervous about the blossoming friendship in the back seat, but Morgan couldn't help but feel it was a good thing. It had been a year since Maeve's death, and this was the first time Morgan had seen Reid begin to be close with anyone outside of the team since then. Perhaps it was a sign that he was finally coming back to being himself again.

_**~#*H*#~**_

"How much longer are they going to put her through this?" Reid stared through the glass into the interview room where Artemis sat.

"Hopefully not much longer," Morgan commented, rocking back on his heels, "I don't know how much her mind can handle right now."

"She can take more than you think," Hotch sipped at a cup of coffee.

For the last several hours, Artemis had been there with various members of the team asking her questions in order to bring on memories of her last two years. They wanted to know what the place she was kept looked like, what her captor did to her, how many other women he kept, and other details. Artemis seemingly took it well. During the questioning, she would stare at the wall or the floor, never at the person speaking. When the person stopped talking, she would take the pencil before her and write everything she could remember...which wasn't much. Sometimes she would draw a picture.

"Look at her, Hotch!" Reid protested. "She won't make eye contact, she's showing absolutely no emotion...she's shutting herself in completely!"

"He's right, Hotch," Morgan mumbled. "It's almost as though..."

"She's been trained to be submissive," Hotch finished the thought. "The lack of eye contact suggests an inferiority complex...I doubt she had that before her capture."

"She makes eye contact with one of us," Morgan raised an eyebrow at Reid.

"And when all of this is over, it will likely be you, Reid, who is able to draw her back to normal humanity," Hotch smiled grimly.

"From what she's telling us," J.J. came around the corner from the interview room, "She doesn't know where the UnSub was keeping them. The man never showed her his face. She has no idea how many women were with her, but she remembers seeing as many as five at a time."

"...Did she tell you what he did to them?" Morgan asked after a slight hesitation.

"Not much," J.J. shook her head, "She remembers being in the dark most of the time. She remembers him sticking them in a large room together and telling them not to speak to one another. Whoever spoke was always dragged out of the room."

"So," Morgan mused, "Whoever spoke got killed...that would sure shut you up."

"No," Reid made his way over to the window, placing his fingertips on the cold glass, "when I found her, she was being taken out to be killed, and her voice is gone...I think our UnSub is far more sadistic than just wanting them to be quiet."

As though a lightbulb came on in J.J.'s mind, she came up beside Reid.

"He wants to hear them," the look on her face was a mixture of disgust and horror. "He wants to hear them cry and scream, and when they stop giving him that, when they finally become so desensitized that they don't speak at all..."

"He kills them," Reid finished the thought with a shudder.

"Son of a bitch," Morgan breathed, joining the others at the window. "And it took Artemis two years to give up..."

"Impressive," J.J. marveled with no joy in the discovery.

"I think we have our profile," Hotch said solemnly as he exited the room.

_**~#*H*#~**_

The profile that was given to the police in the areas surrounding Quantico was that of a white male in his mid to late twenties. The man would be very introverted. He targeted the voices of these women because he felt he had no voice of his own. The team speculated that the UnSub grew up surrounded by powerful women who made him feel inferior. It was likely that at least one of them had red hair. The man they searched for probably never went to college. Graduating high school would have been the accomplishment of his life. Because of this, he was probably in a low-paying job and going nowhere in life. He would have suffered a recent stressor. It was possible that he was laid off or demoted in his job. Since Artemis was evidence that this had been occurring for at least two years, the stressor would have occurred before then.

_**~#*H*#~**_

During the meeting, Artemis wandered aimlessly around the office. Reid watched her with muted amusement as she found the stereo in the large, cubicle-filled room outside the press room where the police briefing was being held. Hesitantly, looking around to see that no one was close by, she reached out and hit the power button. When loud music began to play, she fumbled around for the volume before glancing behind apologetically to the few people who still remained at their desks.

A Justin Beiber song erupted from the speakers. Artemis grimaced as though she'd tasted something bitter. She quickly began mashing buttons to find something else. Soon, a bluesy, attitude-filled, female voice slid out of the stereo like expensive oil. With a half-smile, Artemis began bobbing her head to the beat. One hand patted the rhythm on her leg.

By the time Morgan reached the silent girl, Artemis was lost in the sound. Her curvy hips swayed in a sultry way that betrayed her experience and love of music and dancing. Her waist-length, Titian hair flicked gracefully back and forth. Even with the subtle way she moved her head and hands, Morgan was certain that if her voice was intact, she'd be singing to beat the band.

"Ooh, girl!" He said cheerily as he sauntered up to Artemis. "Looks like someone has good taste in tunes!"

Artemis's eyes grew wide, and she immediately shut off the radio.

"Don't stop! You're beautiful when you dance," Morgan smiled.

With her eyes on the ground, Artemis began stiffly moving. Morgan's heart sank to the floor. What had he just done?

With a sad sigh, he moved forward and placed a finger under Artemis's bony chin. He lifted her face to where he could see her icy blue eyes.

"Hey," his voice was as soft and warm as a cashmere blanket, "you were beautiful dancing just now because you forgot your troubles and enjoyed what you were doing. Don't stop dancing for anyone...but don't dance just because someone tells you to either. Dance because you love to dance. Got it?"

Artemis hesitated. She studied Morgan's face for a moment before timidly nodding.

"Okay," Morgan nodded in return, "let's head out. You'll be staying with Garcia, but we have to swing by Reid's place before we head over. Garcia wants to clean up before you get there."

With a frown, Artemis looked over Morgan's shoulder. Morgan knew who that searching glance desired to find.

"Don't worry. Reid will be along in a minute," the tall man chuckled. Artemis's face reddened slightly.

Soon, the lanky young man bounced over to his friends, his thumbs looped through the strap of his messenger bag.

"Let's hit the road, Genius," Morgan smirked. "I just found out Princess, here, likes music. We've got two years worth to catch her up on!"

"Is that so?" Reid's eyes glittered as he fell into step next to the shy girl. "In that case, we'll have to check out my collection of vinyls..."

_**~#*H*#~**_

_**A/N: **_

_**Sorry for the lack of action in this one. I felt a slightly informative chapter was in order. I'll go ahead and tell you that our favorite BAU team is on the right track with the UnSub...but there's a major detail that Artemis doesn't remember and they have yet to piece together. When they do, it will change the course of everything! Isn't that just evil? :] **_

_**More apologies to those of you waiting for updates on my other fics. Between being a full time working mom and editing my original book that's due to be released later this year, my time is pretty well eaten. When I have time to squeeze in a fanfiction chapter...well, for the last little bit, this one has been at the front of my mind and has demanded every bit of my attention. I can't guarantee that I'll have a chapter out in my other fics until this one is completed (or at least I get enough of it out of my head that my mind will focus on something else), but when I get around to them, I promise long, juicy chapters in each of them. :D  
**_

_**I hope you're enjoying it! In case you're wondering, the song Artemis is enjoying in the chapter is "Blue Eyes Blind" by ZZ Ward. LOVE her. She's like Adele, just a bit harder. **_

_**As always, reviews appreciated! Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapters as well as the favorites and follows. The support is what keeps me wanting to write more! Much love!**_


End file.
